Anxiety can also manifest as a symptom, but it is now being considered as a comorbidity with depression. The following graph depicts depression, anxiety, and behavior disorders by age, see graphic image above.
Treatment Options for Depression
The conventional thinking about depression is that it is a “mental disorder,” and so various forms of psychotherapy and pharmacologic prescriptions become the go-to treatment. Want to see something truly shocking? Look at the number of children in the U.S. that were prescribed antidepressants in 2019!
Antidepressants: 0–17 years 2,148,971
0–5 years 33,043
Age Breakdown: 0–1 years 7,821
2–3 years 11,174
4–5 years 18,837
6–12 years 560,477
13–17 years 1,581,361
While psychotherapeutic intervention is often required, there are other treatment options to consider regarding the management of depression: Neurobiotics!
Well, What Are Neurobiotics?
Put simply, neurobiotics (they are actually called psychobiotics) are probiotics that affect mental health.
Probiotics are used to heal the gut microbiome and neurobiotics have added species of bacteria that specifically target neural function. Neurobiotics regulate the neurotransmitters (chemicals involved with transmission of neurologic information) which play a role in controlling the neural excitatory-inhibitory balance of mood, learning, memory, and executive function.